Millville hires firm for employee complaint reviews

MILVILLE – An Avalon law firm is being brought in to do independent reviews of employee complaints against two city commissioners.

The City Commission awarded two special labor counsel service contracts to Blaney & Karavan P.C. — each worth $7,500.

City ordinance requires hiring an independent reviewer in this situation. There were no dissenting votes on the awards, although Tuesday night’s meeting saw the controversial state of commission-employee relations brought up repeatedly.

Under one contract, the law firm will investigate an unspecified complaint against Commissioner Lynne Porreca Compari.

Personnel confidentiality rules prohibit the disclosure of the nature of complaints. However, Solicitor Brock Russell said that complaint against Porreca Compari stems from a letter from a union attorney on behalf of a specific employee rather than directly from an employee.

Under the second contract, the firm will investigate two complaints against Commissioner David Ennis.

According to Russell, the original plan was to hire the same firm under one larger contract.

“The reason we had to break it down into two separate resolutions is that Commissioner Porreca Compari can’t vote on the one against her,” Russell said. “Commissioner Ennis can’t vote on the one against him.”

Before the commission got to those two votes, an audience member criticized the general state of employee relations during the meeting's opening public comment period.

Debbie Malone, owner of Colonial Flowers, contended that “bullying” was rife at City Hall.

“I also understand there is a need to change things, how things operate in the city and how things are done,” Malone said. “But these complaints should not be a badge of honor by you. Now I am sure tonight that the majority here will disagree with me, and that’s OK because I don’t always agree with them. And I’m sure I’ll be reading about it on Facebook. But I feel now is the time for me as a citizen to speak up.”

After her remarks, Russell commented that confidentiality rules keep commissioners from responding directly on cases in public.

“I’m sure that the commissioners would like to say something in response to some of the comments about employee complaints,” Russell said. “The problem is they can’t. They can’t defend themselves. They’re not permitted to do so because the ordinance says that those complaints are confidential.”

Sooy, who also has weathered complaints, proposed to Malone that she file an information request for complaint documents under New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act. The city might say no to the request but a state judge might disagree, he suggested.

“If you really want to know what’s going on, do that,” Sooy said. “And I’m sure you’ll find out where the problems are. And I can pretty much bet they’re not sitting up here.”

Ennis said he was “mystified” why complaints would be filed against him.

“I’m sure in time that you will see it is something that has been timely orchestrated,” Ennis said. “I’m very at peace with it because I make it a daily practice to treat everybody the same. So I don’t know where it came from. But I’m not even worried about that. I’m at peace with it. The only thing I’ll say is you shall reap what you sow.”